We get it. Attending a trade show or event is one of your company’s biggest marketing

investments. That’s why we’ve compiled some tips to help you get the maximum return on

this investment. We’ve seen it work with thousands of exhibitors.

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What do you want to get out of it? How many attendees do you want to stop at your booth

How many leads do you hope to generate? How many products do you want to sell? Are

you focusing on promotion or hoping to launch a new product?

You can have more than one goal, of course, but the point is that you need to be clear

about what your participation in the trade show is going to achieve. Determine what your

ROI would be – if one new customer helps you justify you being at the event, then focus on

getting that customer.

You need to choose the trade shows that will give your business the best ROI in terms of your

goals. If your goal is on-site sales, exhibiting at that big splashy trade show where your booth

is among dozens that sell similar products may not be the best choice.

You want to choose a trade show that best targets the audience that you want to reach,

and best suits your participation goals. Find out what the particular trade show's objectives

are, and investigate and evaluate the show's audience.

Discover everything you can about your space, including:

Location on the trade show floor

Other exhibits nearby

Whether it's a high traffic or low traffic area

Physical conditions of the booth space, such as lighting

Most shows provide a diagram to help you determine the best location for your booth.

Contact AGS Exhibition Services for help.

Who are you targeting with your trade show display? The associations provide conference

demographics to help you determine which audience might be best for your marketing

plan.

If you are targeting multiple audiences, make sure you have appropriate information to

meet the needs of each.

Get the word out that you're participating in a particular trade show by inviting your clients,

customers, suppliers, and other contacts to attend the show. Be sure you give them all the

details, such as your booth number. Be sure to advertise your coming trade show

attendance on your website as well.

Some associations allow our exhibitors to purchase pre-registered attendees list. The list will

contain attendee’s name, company, and address, and sometimes even phone numbers

and e-mails. Contact the association to see if this information can be emailed to you, or if

they can provide you with labels.

You can also advertise in conference programs published by the association.. Programs are

handed out to our attendees and provide them with conference information, such as

session topics, times, and descriptions.

Once you’re ready to attend the trade show, it’s time to focus on putting together a display

that wows your audience and draws a crowd.

Use an interactive display, such as a quiz or game on a computer, a contest draw, or a

scheduled demonstration. It doesn't need to be fancy to draw people's interest and get

them to cluster around your trade show display rather than others.

Having some kind of prize drawing or contest is a great way to collect contact information

from booth visitors. You can give away promotional items to encourage people to

participate.

Small items that people can take away and use (while being reminded about your

business) are best. Be sure you place these items in a location where people will have to

walk into or through your trade show display to get them.

Give people who approach your trade show display a friendly greeting and welcome their

questions. Be sure that your body language is friendly. Don't stand there with your arms

crossed over your chest, for instance. Chat with booth visitors, and find out what aspect of

your business they're most interested in. Be prepared to offer specific solutions to their

questions. The trick is to draw them in without intimidating or overwhelming them.

You'll want to have a good supply of color fliers and brochures as well as order forms, price

sheets and business cards that you can hand out to booth visitors. Make it easy for them to

find the information on your business later.

Someone has to be there to greet browsers, engage them in conversation, and take their

questions. If you can't be there every minute the trade show is open, you'll need to have at

least one other person to help man your booth.

Many companies will send their "rookies" to tradeshows. Sending new staff people is not

always the wisest decision, however, as they may not have all the answers about your

products or services. If you do send a new staff member, be sure include an experienced

employee as well. That way, newer staff will be able to watch and learn.

Often, exhibitors sit behind their tables while attendees stand looking down at them –- get

up and engage! Also, get off your phone or computer. Nothing is worse than watching one

of our exhibitors miss valuable exhibitor time because he or she is one the phone. There are

typically periods of down time during any conference to follow up on voicemail or e-mails.

Follow up with contacts and leads you made during the trade show as soon as possible. The

faster you send them out, the more your business will stand out from the rest.

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AGS Exhibitor Services

Monday – Friday from 8am – 5 pm EST

Call: 1-407-292-0025 | Email: eventservices@ags-expo.com | Order Services 24/7